Canadian Tuft wins time trial stage of Tour de San Luis

SAN LUIS, Argentina - Svein Tuft of Langley, B.C., won the time trial on Thursday at the Tour de San Luis, covering 19.2 kilometres in an impressive 22 minutes 14 seconds.

Tuft edged out Argentina's Leandro Messineo by seven seconds to win stage four of Tour de San Luis. Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski rounded out the stage podium.

"This time of year, I'm not always sure what I'm going to get," said Tuft. "I've had good feelings, but I was a little surprised at how hard it felt when I was out there. I forget every year how hard it is. I think that's what allows me to keep doing it."

Tuft credits team trainer Marc Quod with giving him an extra edge.

"I did a lot of strength and endurance in the off season," Tuft said. "Working with Quod has been really good. It's probably been one of the better winters for me. I've focused on things that I don't normally work. We kept the training really simple and I think that helped."